James Wolfe Pleads Not Guilty To Lying To The FBI

posted by Bill Strange -
Jun 14, 2018

A former Senate Intelligence Committee staffer accused of improper leaks is pleading not guilty to all charges against him. James Wolfe entered the not guilty plea yesterday in a federal courtroom in Washington, D.C. Wolfe faces tough questions after news surfaced of his alleged intimate three year long relationship with journalist Ali Watkins who at the time was covering national security matters for Politico and BuzzFeed. The relationship allegedly ended last year.

Watkins started working for the New York Times in December of 2017. This week, the New York Times says it is looking into Watkins' background after finding out last week the FBI had seized her email and phone records dating back several years. That seizure is part of the probe into Watkins' alleged earlier relationship with Wolfe and the possible impact such a relationship may have had on the leak investigation.

Yesterday in the courtroom, Wolfe's attorney Preston Burton asked the judge for a gag order to keep President Trump from making "improper and prejudicial" statements that could jeopardize Wolfe's right to a fair trial. Burton said he's concerned that "glib" remarks by the President could taint the jury pool. Wolfe is due back in court on June 19th.